Let me love you
by Gilmoregirl19
Summary: A one shot in five parts of   musically  inspired drabbles chronicling the good, the bad, and the ugly of Rhett and Scarlett.
1. Oh, Princess

**Hello! I'm excited - I'm branching out to Gone with the Wind. Saw the movie. Read the book. Currently reading 'Scarlett'. ****I'm in love. And inspired to write (my first love and several thousand words were inspired by Gilmore Girls, hence the penname). **

**Usually, I write these long stories, but I have five of these small-ish oneshots written. Some are inspired by songs, others aren't. And it might be the start of a series of drabbles - I'll let you decide. ****The title comes from a Josh Kelly song - I love most music so if you have a song suggestion, let me know! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own GWTW**

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_oh princess_  
_you're ready for greatness_  
_all edited and weightless_  
_never more alive_

_-Matt Nathanson/Princess-_

He was the type of man who took pleasure in people; how masses of folk moved together, clinging to beliefs he could never bring himself to believe in and following codes of conduct he thought were outdated and silly.

Rhett was an observer of sorts, intrigued that so many people just let life float by, dreamlike, without ever taking the bull by the horns and truly living. As such, he developed a great understanding of people, though very few people made their way into his heart.

_Liking_ people was entirely different from _loving_ people and very few people genuinely liked him. In that sense, his life had adjusted itself to fit that balance. He cared for only a few people and used the rest, manipulating them, preying on their weaknesses and playing up their strengths. Massaging egos, tact, and charming smiles usually got him what he wanted.

He looked through the throng of boys at her feet; her pretty face was what caught his eye. And he observed her from afar. The blink-blink-blink of her eyes, the calculated smile, how she cocked her head and waved her fan just so. The boys were mesmerized, but he could see that she had spirit, gumption and more life behind those emerald green eyes than the whole of Clayton County.

He was, quite simply, attracted.

And because he wasn't a gentleman, he could embrace the fact that he was and because he wasn't a gentleman he could ignore the strange feeling that she be the one to steal his heart.

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_So? Whadaya think? _


	2. Hang with Me

_When you see me drift astray_  
_out of touch and out of place_  
_will you tell me to my face?_

_-Robyn/Hang with Me-_

Scarlett wished she was more analytical, then she'd be able to understand him better. Then she would've seen how much sincerity was hidden behind his mocking eyes and twisted smile.

But she wasn't analytical and when she looked at him, she felt like everyone, except her, was in on some kind of joke. She knew it was supposed to be funny, but she never quite grasped why and she never quite grasped him.

Despite his stepping in and out of her life, Rhett understood her better than she understood herself. To her, only two things mattered. Money, obviously, and to become the great lady her mother had been, and she thought money would bring her that.

People didn't interest her, she had no clue what made them tick or why they could be valuable to her. And it always came as a shock when society turned against her. Rhett was there and he always understood, without question and without judgment.

There were many private moments in Aunt Pitty's library. Him sitting across from her in a tall leather chair, holding a tumbler of brandy. He'd always offer her some and throw his head back in laughter as she scowled her decline at him.

They discussed business like man to man. She could talk to him, without inhibition. And he listened, treating her like an equal, nodding and humming tones of approval or bursting out in laughter.

Sometimes, he advised her on how to deal with society. How a small sacrifice (such as clearing one afternoon of her busy schedule for receiving calls) could go great lengths for society. She tried to listen, but she couldn't contain her arguments, pointing out faults in his advice, as if she'd never received years of training on how to behave like a lady.

And yet, Rhett kept coming back. Her temper, insults and scowls didn't bother him – in fact, he often found himself saying things just to get a rise out of her. It amused him. She amused him.

Oh, she was such a girl, so innocent behind her tough façade, so foolish and yet, so hopeful. As he would a child, he wanted to guide her.

At first, it was to see that his monetary investment was safe. But it wasn't long before it became an emotional one.

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**Song suggestions? Inspiring moments? Let me know in the reviews! **


	3. Addictive

_It's ridiculous_  
_And still I stick with this_  
_I'm sick of this_  
_But in my sickness_  
_And addiction_  
_You're addictive as they get_

_- Eminem/25 to life- _

A marriage for fun? What a novel idea.

Scarlett didn't think she loved Rhett, not then at least. Ashley was forever in her thoughts, her struggle for survival still fresh in her mind, and Rhett was….well, Rhett.

Somehow, he always seemed to be there when he needed her most, with his dark eyes and strong arms.

Their marriage, still in its infancy, was great. It was as if he stepped in and swooped up all of her problems; she found shelter in his broad chest. She could run through the streets of New Orleans, carefree, laughing 'till her sides ached.

And that's how Rhett liked to see her. Scarlett was too enthralled by it all that she didn't notice how his features softened when he looked at her, and too naïve to know that his hand on the small of her back, or the soft brushes on her arm were signs of intimacy, not just a show of man-and-wife.

It startled him to realize that she was his weakness. After all, he could keep his cool while running the blockade, the outcome of his dubious business dealings didn't worry him one bit and visions of Atlanta burning and Yankee soldiers he'd shot were banished to the far corners of his mind. But her violent thrashing as she floated through her dreams and her cries as the dreams eventually woke her broke his heart.

He'd always been the giver and she'd always been the taker. It didn't bother him that he gave knowledge, for he was educated and worldly, she cared only for matters that concerned her. It didn't bother him that he was the provider, for that was his role, and he admired her spirit for providing for herself in times when there was no one else. He'd shown her something a lot like love, showered her with gifts and she returned with a coquettish smile or blush, made it clear it had affected her.

But now, a blush and a grin weren't enough. He needed more, confirmation. He couldn't be the only one in love.

Scarlett and Rhett weren't weak and being on the losing side of unrequited love made him feel weak. At first, he reasoned that she didn't know better. After all, a marriage to a boy and an old man – it was a wonder she'd borne two children – for when it came to love, she might as well been a virgin; behind her strong mask, she was just scared and innocent.

But Scarlett was never scared or innocent. It was those chaste thoughts of Ashley, the boy-man on a pedestal, she harbored. He was everything Rhett was not and Rhett was everything she needed but Scarlett was too blind to see. And Rhett was too stubborn to make her see.

When things got bad, they were awful. Rhett fought fire with fire. Belle. An old friend, a smart business woman. Another one with gumption and spirit and life. Belle wasn't his Ashley, though. There was no love between them, just an understanding.

Rhett knew it hurt Scarlett. Jealously stung and the embarrassment of the gossip that flitted through their circle burned. It tortured her but her temper, insults and scowls stopped amusing him.

But he couldn't walk away. By now, he'd invested too much; he was addicted to the pain, the drama, the stress. To her. To hope.

He'd never believed in such a frivolous thing as hope, but he held on to the belief that he might see a return on his investment, if Scarlett would just open her eyes, she'd see him.

But she never did. She thought Rhett would always be Rhett, mysterious but always there.

She didn't see him slipping away.

Bonnie was his main girl. The attention he once devoted to Scarlett was now focused on his daughter. That, maybe, hurt her more than Belle. She comprehended that her agitation stemmed from his neglect, she didn't know it was because she was on the unrequited side of love.

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**I'm having fun with these! **


	4. Warfare

_Maybe that's what happens_  
_When a tornado meets a volcano_

_-Eminem ft. Rihanna/Love the way you lie-_

On the rare moments they talked, it was icy, but mostly they ignored each other. Each too proud to give in, too stubborn to break the silence.

When news broke of Scarlett's rumored infidelity, everything worsened. Scarlett had never deliberately want to hurt him – despite what she had muttered under her breath – and now Rhett felt the sting of jealousy.

He had let her get away with much too much for far too long. He allowed her to build that ridiculous house, ostracize them from society, run the mills and the store…

It didn't matter, because he would've done anything for her, but she took him for granted.

That night, he realized that he'd relinquished control. And he was going to take it back.

Scarlett did not know she had walked into a battlefield, but he was drunk and angry and it showed.

Rhett forced her to drink – yes, he knew her secrets – and he forced her to listen to him. She had never understood him, but she had never been afraid of him. Tonight, he made even less sense and an anxious sweat covered her palms, heart beating in her ears as his fingers tickled her neck and closed around her head. Her breathing increased rapidly, but not because she was scared, but because of the tiny electric current that flowed between their skin.

If Scarlett didn't see it – see him – he would force her to. His kisses were angry and urgent. Forceful. Destructive. Breaking through long-established barriers.

Polite strangers didn't act like this. This wasn't cordial. This wasn't lady and gentlemanly. This was a battle and he was engaged in combat. Scarlett responded immediately – if he wasn't to fight, she'd fight back. She was a fighter, a survivor and she'd show him.

Her otherwise flirtatious eyes didn't blink, or look away shyly, daintily. Scarlett met his gaze head on, brazen-faced, and her kisses were just as angry, just as urgent, just as forceful.

He threw her on the bed and his big hands covered her small shoulders, keeping her down, as her nails dragged across his back. Dark laughter rumbled deep in his chest and her lips curled up in a twisted smile, like his.

The desire and want and need was all but tangible in the room. He was the boss, but she wasn't backing down. His kisses turned into needy, lusty touches and she responded by boldly breaking free of his grip.

She matched him in temper, in touch, in longing. He should've been surprised, but he wasn't. It was a duel, a primal power struggle. They both howled and growled and showed their teeth. Rhett, nor Scarlett, was giving up. It ended when pain gave way to pleasure, breathing labored, lips red and swollen.

Possessively, she pulled his arm around her waist, as if he belonged to her, but she still couldn't tell him that she loved him. Rhett didn't pull away until after she'd fallen asleep.

Her actions couldn't match the words he needed to hear. It was another blow to his bruised ego.

All he ever wanted was for her – for them – to be happy. All he wanted was to love her and she made it impossibly difficult on him. Whether it was because of society, or because of Ashley, it didn't matter.

Without Bonnie and with the promise of a new baby so brutally taken (by him? by fate?) he realized wanting her wasn't enough. He had waited too long, it was too late. He'd never have her, not with all the words left unspoken and all of the things they'd done, but never really meant.

It couldn't be changed.

Scarlett would always be the type to hold her love over his head and he was tired of jumping for it. There was no more love to give and he needed out before whatever feeling remained turned into hate. Rhett was hers to have, from day they met, and she didn't take him. In fact, she made clear that she wanted him until the day he left.

He heard the sincerity in her voice as she told him she loved him, didn't want him to leave. The promises of a happy life. That she'd changed.

But the words bounced off him like a shield. His mind was made up, he was quitting her.

Cold turkey.

And that was her misfortune.

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**Oh Rhett and Scarlett. Always drama, drama, drama. Tragic.**


	5. Desire

_How can you say_  
_that you don't love me anymore?_  
_  
-Josh Kelley – Let me love you-_

Now that it's over, now that she finally allows herself to love him, knows that she's always loved him, Scarlett realizes that she neglected him just as much as he did her. Had she paid attention, maybe then she would've noticed the sincerity hidden in his mocking eyes, maybe then she would've seen that there was definite realness in their marriage of convenience.

She's alone in her room, sitting on the bed. The bed that used to be theirs. The memory of his arms around her burns. All of the memories are so suffocating that she feels like she's about to burst; that's how much she wants him.

But she hates him, too.

Rhett knows her to her core, while she's still struggling to understand him, even after all this time. Maybe if she understood him better, she would've done things differently. Maybe that would've made him stay.

But he left, and with that a burden to her, another load to tote. Scarlett can't help but seeing him everywhere, all the time. She can hear his laugh ringing in her ears and she can see his mocking dark eyes in the corner of her mind, she can feel the warmness of his breath tickling her neck as if he were right behind her, leaning in close to whisper something for only her to hear.

She can't forget him and hopes feverishly that the feelings that burden her are a burden to him, too. That her green eyes are burned on his retina, that he longs to feel her touch, that his heart breaks every time he thinks of her. She wants it to suffocate him, she wants it to be a pain so bad he can barely stand it.

But then she realizes that's how he's felt all along.

She tries to steady her breathing before the tears come, but it's no use.

It's her fault.

She took too much for granted and he let her have it all. Chaste, childish fantasies of a romance with Ashley, her stupid mill and store, separate bedrooms. It had bothered him, but he'd never let on.

He should have.

Damn him and his pride.

Scarlett's head hangs in despair – oh, what a fool she's been. And now he is too tired to fight, she understands that now. Slowly, she lifts her head – she has to keep her head held high.

She can fight for them both. Rhett will love her again. She'll let some of her stupid pride go, she'll stop fighting him, she'll stop being so stubborn.

Scarlett knows that she's made mistakes but she knows better now. And she knows that he'll love her again if he just lets her.

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**So. That's it – the last one in this little series. I guess the title can be interpreted two ways, with both of them asking the question at different points in their relationship/lives. **

**Their dynamic is very interesting to me and they're both flawed (but so right for each other) so I might do a one shot fic like this again…I kind of liked it (hope you did, too). ****And thanks for the reviews (I love them!) and thanks so much for making my jump in to GWTW fanfic so much fun! Much love! **


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